1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is directed to containers and packaging, and more particularly, to containers and packaging that incorporate child-resistant features.
2. Background of the Related Art
Disposable containers for packaging, distributing, displaying or otherwise housing consumer items, some of which are not safe for use by children, are becoming increasingly important. The advent of plastics resulted in many products being wrapped or packaged in plastic, both in the form of flexible plastic bags and rigid plastic containers. The use of plastics in the modern-day convenience food industry has significantly improved the “shelf life” of perishable products, allowing both merchants and their customers to store the products for longer periods of time, resulting in substantial savings.
It has been found that consumers like recloseable packages, particularly for comestible products, especially in circumstances where more than one serving of a comestible product is contained therein, in order to reduce drying out or other deterioration of the comestible food product. In addition, consumers prefer to visually inspect the product within such containers prior to purchase. Thus, fabricating containers from clear see-through plastics is desirable. In addition to the aforementioned consumer design preferences, it is desirable to fabricate containers that include features which either deter unauthorized tampering or clearly indicate whether unauthorized tampering has occurred, or both.
Thus, there is a need for containers having design elements, such as recloseability features which are reliable and easy to operate, along with child-resistant features that deter children from gaining access to the contents of the container. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a container that meets these needs.